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'Hawks face Cardinals in Muncie, host Bears

Freshman Emily Gruesser eyes the ball Sept. 17 as the Red and White take on Indiana University.
Freshman Emily Gruesser eyes the ball Sept. 17 as the Red and White take on Indiana University.

Drew McDonell, Staff Writer

Freshman Emily Gruesser eyes the ball Sept. 17 as the Red and White take on Indiana University. (MICHAEL GRIGGS | The Miami Student)

The Miami University field hockey team will continue conference play in Muncie, Ind. to take on the Ball State University Cardinals. Oct. 3, the RedHawks will host the second home game of the season, taking on the Missouri State University Bears.

The Cardinals are currently 3-5, while the RedHawks are 6-3. Teams like the University of Iowa, Kent State University and Ohio University defeated the Cardinals by as much as seven points. In comparison, Miami University successfully defeated Iowa and Kent State and faced a close overtime match with Ohio.

Although it seems the RedHawks have the advantage, the team is going to forget about Ball State's record and focus mainly on form.

"We study opponent tactics and tendencies, but mainly focus on our game," Head Coach Jill Reeve said. "It's about us and what kind of mark we make."

After three heartbreaking loses over the past two weeks, the field hockey team's ultimate goal is to work on teamwork and unity. Reeve credits the defeats to individualistic tendencies and poor leadership.

Senior Christine Brightwell sees the importance in team unity and sees herself as one of the team's leaders.

"I think knowing that we have what it takes to go as far as we allow ourselves keeps the leaders busy making sure that everyone is putting forth the necessary effort and work," Brightwell said.

After the RedHawks return from Indiana, they will host another conference game against Missouri State University.

In the national Kookaburra poll both teams are unranked. Miami has the advantage of holding more points in the system than both Missouri and Ball State. The RedHawks have 15 points, while their upcoming opponents hold none.

The Bears are currently 2-6. Similar to the Cardinals, Missouri State lost many of its matches to teams Miami defeated previously this season. These teams include University of California Davis and the University of the Pacific.

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After a long string of home games, the team will be happy to be playing at Miami with the home crowd's support.

"We have a healthy fan base," Reeve said. "I am always pleased with the size and composition of our home crowd."

The RedHawks will take on Ball State at 3 p.m. Oct. 1 and then will head home to face Missouri State at noon Oct. 3.